Church becomes "Chief" of new CD

Wednesday, May 4, 2011 – With a slew of hit singles under his belt from his first two releases, Eric Church's third studio album, "Chief" will hit stores July 27 on EMI.

Church took a month off and went to a secluded cabin in North Carolina to reflect and write the entire album, which he later recorded in Nashville with producer, Jay Joyce (Patty Griffin, Cage the Elephant), who also produced his previous two releases. Church helped write 10 of the 11 songs.

The music inspired Church to name the album after a nickname given to his grandfather and one he has consequently adopted over the years out on the road. "When it's show time, I put on the sunglasses and the hat, and that's how people know it's game time. This album was made from a live place; we recorded it with the live show in mind, so it just seemed right to make that the title," he said.

"I have a theory that all of us [artists] only get a small window of time to make records when people will really listen and care," said Church. "It's up to us to move the needle. People like Waylon and Cash or Garth and Strait -- they all took the format and said, 'We're going over here,' and they each changed the direction of the music a little bit - helping to make it what it is today."

"More than anyone else, we have built are career on the backs of the fans," he said. "We have not had a lot of TV exposure or number one songs, but we have had music that stirs passion, we put on shows that stoke the flames of that passion, and our fans have carried the torch. Our music belongs to them."

Church's new music video for Homeboy, which was filmed at Nashville's Tennessee State Prison, will be featured on CMT as their "Hot Shot Debut" and premiere on GAC beginning Monday, May 9.

Church has enjoyed 6 Top 20 singles - How 'Bout You, Two Pink Lines and Guys Like Me from his 2006 "Sinners Like Me" and Love Your Love The Most, Hell On The Heart and Smoke A Little Smoke from his sophomore release "Carolina." He also received an ACM Award for New Solo Vocalist of the Year.

CD reviews for Eric Church

Eric Church looks to take no prisoners on his big and bold - sometimes very dark - sounding fourth studio release. He makes that crystal clear on the cover where he stands flanked by his backing quintet, looking tough, menacing, ready for a rumble with arms hanging down, hiding behind sunglasses. These guys are ready to roll.
As in rock and roll, which Church et al cook up with the lead-off title track, an out-and-out rocker with Church laying down his outside the lines credentials. »»»

"God send a country music Jesus to save us all," sings Eric Church on this new collection of live recordings, but he's not talking about himself. Church may be a country music hit maker but he's not exactly traditional-sounding; there are times here where the band is rocking hard enough that it's closer to AC/DC than anything remotely 'country.'
Church's big hit Springsteen is here, of course, closing the album and including a cleverly placed snippet of an »»»

Eric Church is a mainstream country artist being marketed as a modern outlaw. His music does owe more to Southern rock bands like Lynyrd Skynrd than pop, but it is still radio friendly country music.
However, this shouldn't be held against him. His first two albums had a number of great songs, and "Chief" builds on that success, while adding a heavy dose of experimentation. At times, he stretches his trademark sound by bringing in obvious outside influences. »»»

Editorial: Walking the talk –
When names like Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Waylon and the Hag are invoked, you're talking hard core country. These are the touchstones of country , the guys who made country music what it was and still is (or maybe can be). When these folks would sing about being down-and-out and the rough-and-tumble, they knew of what they were singing about. Fast forward a few years to the country singers of today. »»»

Concert Review: Watkins steps out on his own –
At the ripe old age of 39, Sean Watkins is doing things a bit differently when it comes to his music. By far the biggest sign is that he is in the midst of his first ever solo headlining tour.
That may seem a bit odd almost after having released four solo albums since 2001.
But when you have your main gig being in the trio Nickel Creek, pus other... »»»

Concert Review: No surprise, Jackson and friends still Keepin' It Country –
Alan Jackson calling his current tour Keepin' It County reads like one of those 'no duh' statements because the Georgia born singer/songwriter has always kept his music traditional - even in the face of the continuing rock and pop-ization of contemporary country music. But keep it country he did once again for a sold out audience on the... »»»

Some in the mainstream country audience may only know Angaleena Presley as one of the two other singers in Miranda Lambert's side group, Pistol Annies. But to view Presley in only that limited light would be selling her severely short. For starters, Pistol Annies is a trio of extra strong female country music writers and by no means merely Lambert's side group.... »»»

Jorma Kaukonen has reached that stage in life where any break he takes is well earned and completely deserved. The 74-year-old singer/songwriter is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee for his work with Jefferson Airplane and his solo career has kept him busy - and fans deliriously happy - for an astonishing 41 years when he's not sometimes playing with Hot Tuna.... »»»

The last time Kenny Roby assembled 6 String Drag to record a new studio album, Bill Clinton had just handily secured his second term as president. That album was 1997's acclaimed "High Hat," and within months of its release, 6SD had dissolved, sadly capping a brief Americana/roots rock run that had seemed so promising after their brilliant 1994 self-titled debut...... »»»

The first album by James McMurtry in six years proves that some simply get better with age. And it opens with a gorgeous, deliberate performance, "Copper Canteen," and a line about cleaning his gun before hunting season comes to a close. From there, McMurtry looks back at his youth and the changing world today "before the pension kicks in." »»»

Over the more than 20 years since upstate (way, way upstate) New York natives Eric and Leigh Gibson debuted on the bluegrass scene, it has been more or less de rigueur for the journalists and reviewers who write about them to link them to the long and proud tradition - especially in country music in all its forms - of siblings... »»»

The Mavericks returned in 2013 with an acclaimed new album and much touring after nearly a decade's absence. Here they are back again in 2015, minus one of their founding members, but with another dynamite new effort. »»»

In the Instagram era where people use apps to turn digital snapshots into sepia-toned portraits, Steve Earle's 16th studio release finds its place with an old-school sound. It's a Polaroid of rural country, blues and bluegrass frozen in time. But instead of outdated, it plays on the nostalgia of its modern audience. »»»

Although Jorma Kaukonen will forever be bound to the enormous legacy of Jefferson Airplane, it's important to remember the gifted guitarist's tenure in the band was a mere seven years. He and bassist Jack Casady exceeded that total with Hot Tuna - which they'd started two years before leaving the Airplane - by 1978 when they released the live "Double Dose" album. »»»

With a new label backing them, Blackberry Smoke have distilled their sound to produce an album of songs that reflect the image that they have so carefully cultivated. When they were on Zac Brown's Southern Ground label, they released an exciting album full of country rock anthems that explored the depths of Southern Rock, mainstream rock, folk and even hints of soul music, much like the music of Brown himself. »»»